The end of the screen protector? iPhone 6 panel survives attacks

Screen protectors are a common purchase when we manage to get our hands on a brand new handset, but it seems like these might soon be a thing of the past, after a video emerged online apparently showing the new Apple iPhone 6 front panel receiving some serious abuse – and surviving to tell the tale.

Most phones use Gorilla glass as their front panels at the moment, and while it is far more durable than anything we've seen in the past few years, it is still a material that will scratch from time to time if the phone is dropped or put into a pocket with a set of keys.

However, it appears there may be no such issue in the future, with the rumours of Apple stepping up its offering and making the move towards sapphire crystal displays seemingly being true.

YouTube user Marques Brownlee has apparently managed to get his hands on an iPhone 6 front panel with sapphire crystal display, and he set about giving it the ultimate test to see how it would stand up to the rigours of modern smartphone use.

In the video posted, he stabs the phone with a knife, scratches it with the same and sets about trying to damage it with a set of keys, all to no avail. Mr Brown also tries to snap or shatter the device with his hands, and by standing on it and pulling it up.

However, much to the shock of the YouTube user, and experts in the phone world, the phone panel managed to withstand the attack and came out completely unscathed, which means that we won't even need to buy screen protectors when the new iPhone hits the shelves this September.

And as well as shoring just how durable and tough the new phone will be, Mr Brown's video also seems to confirm that the iPhone 6 will be 4.7 inches in size – or at least one variant will be – as well as suggesting that Apple will be using premium materials for this as well as the rumoured 5.5 inch model.